The 2024 Telstra AFLW Trade and Draft period has provided the Bulldogs with an even stronger foundation heading into the 2025 Season, according to AFLW List Manager Dan Fisher.

Monday night’s draft saw youngsters Emma McDonald, Sarah Postie and Keeley Hardingham land at the Kennel to begin their AFLW journey.

With a deep pool to choose from, Fisher was happy with the mix of players that the Club was able to add, believing they were able to tick off their pre-draft goals.

“We were targeting the players that we got so, we actually had a really good result from that point of view,” Fisher told Bulldogs Media

“Positionally, the only thing that we really wanted to tick off was bringing in a ruck. We had Keeley (Hardingham) earmarked as our third pick for the night.

“Apart from that, we were pretty open to whatever. We were pretty fortunate that Emma (McDonald) and Sarah (Poustie) were available to us at those picks.”

McDonald, a highly-rated key forward, was one of the key targets for the Club who believe her athleticism, competitiveness and natural talent will slot in well in the team’s budding forward line.

Joining from the Oakleigh Chargers, the 18-year-old enjoyed a defining year in 2024, kicking 18 goals from her 13 Coates League appearances - while also averaging 14.8 disposals per game.

The latter was what impressed Fisher and the Bulldogs’ recruiting the team and made the youngster a top target for the night.

“We love her competitiveness. She’s got a really good all-round athletic profile, especially for a tall,” he said.

“She’s got really strong hands in the air but, she also follows up really well at ground level.

“We think that she can be a focal point in the forward line but, also, someone who will follow up and tackle in the forward half as well.”

Toughness around the contest was another focus for the Dogs and was found with their second selection for the night, Sarah Poustie.

Also finding her way to Mission Whitten Oval via the Oakleigh Chargers, the tough midfielder - easily recognisable with her trademark helmet, impressed the Dogs’ throughout the 2024 season.

Averaging 24.4 disposals and 10.4 tackles in her time with the Chargers, Fisher spoke highly not only of Poustie’s impressive endurance, but also her ability to physically impact the contest.

“She’s got a couple of really high-end traits, Sarah. Especially with her endurance,” he said

“We know that she’s got extreme running power and she’s incredibly competitive.

“She’s one of the stronger tacklers that was in this draft pool - she averaged over 10 tackles per game at a Coates League level.

“She can hit bodies pretty hard and she loves the physical side of the game.”

Rounding out the selections on Monday night was the home-grown selection of ruck Keeley Hardingham.

Hardingham enjoyed a breakout year in her first season for Western Bulldogs VFLW, earning the attention of the entire competition on her way to winning the competition’s Rising Star award and a place in the VFLW Team of the Year.

The young ruck had the opportunity to also play with a handful of the Club’s AFLW-listed players, impressing them with her craft and follow-up around the contest.

“She’s got really good ruck craft and an ability to use left or right hand. She’s also very strong and very good at holding her space in the contest,” Fisher said.

“We had some really good feedback from some of our AFLW players who played the odd game in our VFLW team last season about Keeley’s ability to direct the ball.

“She also follows up in traffic. For a ruck, she was averaging over 17 touches a game at VFLW level - which is quite a bit of ball for a ruck.

“We’re looking forward to being able to see what she can do when she can spend more time in the program.”

With the Trade and Draft Period now complete, the Club can begin their planning for the 2025 season - one where they will be looking to build on the solid foundations set under Senior Coach Tam Hyett.

Fisher was pleased with both the addition of talent throughout the period as well as the Club’s ability to retain key players, believing it will only support the future success of the team.

“We wanted to build a bit of continuity with our group. We think there were some really encouraging signs, especially in the back half of the year,” he said.

“I think it was a good result to get the four wins this year and we want to build on that. We wanted to give this group a great chance to build on that.

“Obviously, we can add some pieces around that - as we did through draft and trade. Retention was a really key focus for us this year and we were able to re-sign 13 players across the course of the season.

“That also speaks to the environment. The players seem to be really enjoying it and it’s a place that they really want to be.”